Process / pipelineSampling design

Distance Sampling

Distance sampling is a statistical method for estimating population abundance from data on distances between observers and detected individuals. Developed by Buckland and colleagues (1993) and formalized in the software Distance, this approach accounts for imperfect detection: animals far from an observer are less likely to be detected. By modeling the detection function (probability of detecting an animal at various distances), distance sampling produces unbiased estimates of abundance and density even when detection is incomplete.

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Sources

  1. Buckland, S. T., Anderson, D. R., Burnham, K. P., Laake, J. L., Borchers, D. L., & Thomas, L. (1993). Distance Sampling: Estimating Abundance of Biological Populations. Chapman and Hall, London. link
  2. Thomas, L., Buckland, S. T., Rexstad, E. A., et al. (2010). Distance software: design and analysis of distance sampling surveys for estimating population size. Journal of Applied Ecology, 47(1), 5-14. DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2664.2009.01737.x
  3. Buckland, S. T., Anderson, D. R., Burnham, K. P., Laake, J. L., Borchers, D. L., & Thomas, L. (2001). Introduction to Distance Sampling. Oxford University Press. DOI: 10.1093/oso/9780198509271.001.0001

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Referenced by

ScholarGateDistance Sampling (Distance Sampling for Estimating Abundance). Retrieved 2026-06-04 from https://scholargate.app/en/ecology/distance-sampling